In a moment BTS fans had been waiting for, the South Korean boy band took over New York City’s Central Park for an outdoor concert.
The Bangtan Boys kicked off “Good Morning America’s” 2019 Summer Concert Series on Wednesday morning and many of their fans – known as the ARMY – had camped out in the rain for days to catch a glimpse of the group.
Related: BTS! We haven’t seen boy-band fandom like this since the Beatles
“Thank you for waiting for days (in the rain, cold, everything),” band member RM said.
Those sentiments were echoed by bandmate V, who told the crowd, “Our fans are the best. They are motivation. We love you ARMY!”
And just as the sun broke New York’s rainy streak, the seven-member band took the stage and the park was packed.
The group – Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V and Jungkook – has just broken a Beatles record with three Billboard number one albums in a single year.
“I mean, we’re all fanboys of (The) Beatles, of course, who is not,” RM said. “We feel so honored to be with the greatest names in the music industry – we love (The) Beatles of course.”
BTS was formed in 2013, they took their name from the Korean expression Bangtan Sonyeondan, which roughly translates to “bulletproof boy scouts.”
In 2017, as their profile rose among English-speaking audiences, the group announced they were shifting the meaning of the acronym to “Beyond the Scene.”
They most recently performed at the 2019 Billboard Music Awards with their new single, “Boy With Luv” featuring Halsey.
